Female Rulers of Europe Part III:
Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great or Екатерина Алексеевна was the longest reigning female ruler of Russia in history. Under her rule, Russia rose to prominence as one of the great powers of Europe and conquered lands far and wide. She also championed the Enlightenment in Russia.
Like previous female monarchs we have discussed in this series, Catherine was a foreigner, born in Germany as Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst. She grew up in a poor family by imperial standards, but she was an heiress of the powerful Rurik dynasty who ruled Russia before the Romanovs. Two of her cousins also became kings of Sweden. Despite her family’s poor financial status, she was pitched as a match for Peter III, heir to the Russian throne. Part of this was due to the Prussian need to undermine Austrian influence in Russia.
Russian Imperial Coat of Arms
Once in Russia she applied herself vociferously to her studies of Russian and quickly adopted Orthodox Christianity against her family’s wishes. This conversion curried favour with the empress and confirmed her match to the young Peter. Their marriage was strained. Peter was known for being a trying personality and being severe to servants and other noblemen alike. While he became increasingly secluded and resentful, Catherine kept many male liaisons and was a veritable social butterfly. Through these connections she became acquainted with some of the political dissidents who didn’t approve of her husband’s temperament.
When Peter ascended to the throne in 1762, 15 years after their marriage, his fondness for German politicians aroused suspicion in the Russian aristocracy. Russia was at war with Prussia, and despite holding Berlin, Peter agreed to a peace deal whereby Poland was partitioned. Soon after, when Peter was on holiday with German friends, a coup was staged. Catherine gave a rousing speech to troops and had herself declared the sole monarch of Russia. Peter was soon captured and forced to abdicate. He died in captivity soon after, but Catherine is not thought to have sanctioned the murder. At the time of the coup there were two other claimants to the Russian throne, but Catherine soon had one killed and the other imprisoned.
“I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.”
-Catherine the Great
Catherine must be remembered as a warlike monarch. Under her reign, Russia expanded into the Ukraine, Belarus, Polish-Lithuania, the Caucuses, and much of the area around the Black Sea. She fought a war with her cousin, the King of Sweden. He attacked her when her land troops were locked up in a war with the Ottoman Turks. Her navy was able to defend St. Petersburg however, and the war was largely inconsequential. Her cousin was assassinated soon after the war ended.
Despite her many military campaigns, she was seen as an arbitrator of international disputes in Europe and as an “enlightened monarch.” The famous Hermitage Museum began as her personal collection, and she was a great patron of the arts and sciences. She was also famous for taking many young, attractive lovers into her old age. This practice gave rise to many legends of her promiscuity.
Whether or not she was a part of a plot to kill her husband, her conviction of adultery was a classic case of victim blaming. Lord Bothwell was driven into exile but was never tried for his crimes of rape and abduction in Scotland. He was later imprisoned in Denmark however.
Catherine the Great was indisputably one of the most successful monarchs in European history. She managed to wrest control of the country from her husband, expanded Russia’s borders considerably, and raised Russia to a place of esteem among other European powers. She fell victim, like many other female rulers, to rumours of promiscuity and cruelty, but her undeniable successes make her revered as one of Russia’s greatest rulers.
References:
Bbc.co.uk. (2019). BBC - History - Catherine the Great. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/catherine_the_great.shtml [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
Catherine the Great. (2019). Catherine the Great. [online] Available at: https://katherineandcatherinethegreat.weebly.com/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
History Cooperative. (2019). Feminine Glory: The Story of Catherine the Great. [online] Available at: https://historycooperative.org/feminine-glory-story-catherine-great/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
PRESENT IMPERFECT: FEMINISM & RUSSIAN WOMEN'S CULTURE. (2019). Catherine the Great - PRESENT IMPERFECT: FEMINISM & RUSSIAN WOMEN'S CULTURE. [online] Available at: http://feminismrussia.blogs.wm.edu/2017/09/26/catherine-the-great/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
Saint-petersburg.com. (2019). Biography of Catherine the Great of Russia. [online] Available at: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/royal-family/catherine-the-great/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].